"I quickly learned that mothers
weeping was an unmistakable sign of how vulnerable the life of
a child is in Biombo."from the
introduction

In this comprehensive and provocative study
of maternal reactions to child death in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa,
anthropologist Jónína Einarsdóttir challenges the assumption that mothers in high-poverty societies
will neglect their children and fail to mourn their deaths as
a survival strategy. Based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted
from 1993 to 1998 among the matrilineal Papel who reside in the
Biombo region, this work includes theoretical discussion of reproductive
practices, conceptions of children, childcare customs, interpretations
of diseases and death, and infanticide. Einarsdóttir also
brings compelling narratives of life experiences and reflections
of Papel women.

Jónína Einarsdóttir
is associate professor of anthropology
at the University of Iceland. Since 2001, she has conducted research
on the ethical questions related to the treatment of underweight
infants born in Iceland and the implication of such births for
the families involved. She has done extensive fieldwork among
the Papel of Guinea-Bissau.

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